Light propagating over one or more optical waveguides or optical paths can serve multiple purposes, such as transmitting information in the form of optical signals imprinted with digital data or analog information, conveying images, sensing chemicals and physical parameters, conducting energy for powering electrical devices, lasing, clocking computing devices, timing events, controlling processes and systems, and illuminating objects and spaces for visual observation, to mention a few examples. With an interest in making optical, electrical, computing, communications, and optoelectronic systems more compact, design engineers desire to place optical waveguides close together. However, when optical waveguides are disposed near one another, their isolation from one another often suffers. Optical waveguides that are in proximity to one another often have an increased propensity to couple crosstalk between (or among) one another, leading to various problems and issues. The optical crosstalk can obscure optical signals of interest, for example. A detector intended to receive an optical signal on one optical waveguide may instead respond to crosstalk from a different optical signal inadvertently propagating on that waveguide. Accordingly, optical crosstalk can degrade isolation and can impair signal integrity.
In view of the aforementioned representative deficiencies in the art (or some other related shortcoming), need exists for improving isolation on adjacent optical waveguides. Need also exists for a capability that can eliminate, reduce, mitigate, or otherwise manage optical crosstalk. Further need exists for a means to suppress crosstalk passively in integrated optical devices. A technology addressing such need would benefit systems and applications that utilize light, for example helping achieve size reduction, higher integration, improved manufacturability, lower cost, better power utilization, greater isolation, higher fidelity signals, etc.